


An Old Habit

by Elivra



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Airports, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, But yes I can confirm some fluff, M/M, Not as fluffy as I imagined it would be, Plotless really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-11
Updated: 2018-06-11
Packaged: 2019-05-20 23:50:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14904515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elivra/pseuds/Elivra
Summary: Despite an unexpected delay at the airport, Erwin Smith's life is habitual, familiar, predictable.But then he meets a stranger whose very presence seems like an old habit...Rated for swearing.





	An Old Habit

**Author's Note:**

> I... Honestly don't know what brought this on. The story doesn't have much in terms of plot, but hopefully makes up for it by the sheer amount of emotions I have given Erwin to handle. 
> 
> Also Levi barely swears in this one and I think I'm still in shock.
> 
> Happy reading!

“I'm really sorry for the delay, Mr. Smith.” The woman behind the counter looked genuinely distressed and Erwin had to rein in his annoyance. The inclement weather was hardly her fault and he was certain she had already been on the receiving end of several irate passengers’ wrath.

“That's alright,” he managed to nod at her, and relief on her face was so palpable he was glad he hadn't snapped at her.

Erwin went back to his seat and tried to read. The book he had was dull, completely undeserving of the glowing praise on its cover. He flipped through the pages aimlessly for several minutes before giving up and leaving his seat.

He was not proud of his nicotine habit and had been trying to quit for months. Not for the first time, he wondered at Mike's fortitude in managing to quit an old habit cold turkey. Erwin didn't think he was half as determined as his best friend.

He made his way to the smoking lounge nevertheless, fishing out his pack of Lights from his jacket pocket. The lounge was surprisingly empty, the seating faded. It really did seem like the smoking habit was becoming rare in the general public. Erwin's chest twinged with guilt again.

As usual, he chose a corner next to the large, grimy glass windows, watching the sheets of rain in the darkness outside. He lit his cigarette and continued watching. If he really focused, he could hear the thick glass next to him rattle with the force of the storm outside.

The doors behind him opened to let a large group of men and women inside. Luckily, they drifted to another side of the lounge, heatedly discussing what sounded like a business merger contract. Erwin ignored them and turned back to the rain.

His watch beeped, he glanced at it with a frown. Midnight.

Almost reluctantly he unlocked his phone and switched over to his messenger app, typed a message and sent it to two contacts.

_Happy Anniversary to you both._

Both of them responded immediately. Nile with a simple ' _thanks a lot man_ ’ and Marie much the same, with an added, ' _youre up late?_ ’

Erwin really didn't want to respond, but he did. It would be childish of him him to be rude.

_Stuck at the airport. They weren't kidding about Florida rains._

She asked him what he was doing there, if he was safe from the storm, messages that were once old habit coming from her. Erwin kept his answers to the point and ended the conversation soon after that. It had been years since their break up, and he had come a long way from the hollow, depressed man that he had been at their wedding. Erwin got along well enough with both of them, but he never got close.

Never again would he put himself through-

“Hey.”

Erwin jumped violently; he had been ruminating so intently on the past he hadn't noticed the stranger approach him. The man was short and sallow-skinned, his silky black hair pushed back, probably because he was dripping wet.

“Yes?” Erwin said hurriedly, but the man was simply staring.

And kept staring.

For an uncomfortably long time.

Erwin opened his mouth to ask him what was wrong, when the man cleared his throat and spoke.

“Can I borrow one? Mine got soggy,” the man nodded at the pack of cigarettes.

“Of course.”

He pulled one out of the pack with delicate fingers, stuck it into a just as delicate mouth, and leaned forward to help Erwin light it for him.

“Much appreciated,” he muttered gruffly. Then, after a small moment of hesitation, he extended his free hand. “I'm Levi.”

He had astonishing eyes, Erwin couldn't help notice. They were small and slanted and the pupils were a glimmering steel grey, sharp and currently boring into Erwin's face.

“Erwin,” he murmured and shook his hand.

There was another infinitesimal pause, where Levi's small cold hand gripped his tightly, and his knife-point eyes seemed to cut Erwin deep. And far from being disconcerted by it, Erwin found it _fascinating_. It was insane, inexplicable.

The handshake lingered, and the look on Levi's face prompted Erwin to say, frowning, “Sorry, do we know each other?”

Levi blinked; he withdrew his hand in a jerk and took a deep drag from his cigarette. “I thought I did,” he muttered. Another flash of steel eyes. “My mistake.”

“That's alright,” Erwin said, at a loss for words. He couldn't help but think that this Levi guy _did_ look familiar, his voice and words like a forgotten habit in Erwin's mind. He scrambled to extend the conversation, curiosity burning within him. “So. Crazy weather, huh?”

“It's shitty,” Levi agreed, gracefully tapping the ash off, “but I'm used to the cold.”

“Ah.” Another awkward pause, another scramble for words. “So, where are you headed?”

Levi took a moment before answering. “New York.”

“Ah, well. I'm going the other way,” Erwin said almost apologetically, though he couldn't think why. “Chicago.”

“Chicago,” Levi repeated flatly.

“Have you been there before?”

“Yes.” Levi looked supremely irritated. “I've already crossed it off my list.”

“Your list?”

Levi looked like he had said something he hadn't meant to say. Before Erwin could dig into this any further, his phone buzzed. He glanced at the glowing screen, and with a quick apology, he took the call.

“Mike?”

Beside him, Erwin thought he saw Levi stiffen up.

_“Hey. Still at the airport?”_

“Yes,” Erwin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “All flights are still grounded.”

_“I hear the storm’s letting up. You should be able to leave soon.”_

“That's good to know.” Erwin sighed again, and continued quietly, “It's been a long day.”

_“I'm sure. Don't worry, you'll be here before you know it. This time tomorrow we'll be drowning in beer at Wagner's.”_

Erwin smiled; it had become a yearly tradition at this point. “Can't wait.”

_“Alright, safe travels and all. Let me know when you get home. Oh, Nan says hi.”_

“Bye, Mike. Bye, Nan.”

Mike hung up, but not before Erwin could hear him yelling “ _He says 'bye’!”_ to someone on the other end. His best friends’ antics widened his grin but when he turned back to the other man, his smile melted away.

Levi had the strangest expression on his face, an emotion so difficult to pin down it brought a lump to Erwin’s throat. When Levi finally spoke, his voice was quiet, almost a whisper. “Erwin. You really don't remember.”

_Remember?_

“Remember what?” Erwin rasped.

Levi blinked rapidly and opened and closed his mouth several times, like he was searching for the right words. Then, with a sharp exhale, he growled, “Shit. You were always better at this.”

Confusion made the embers of his irritation flare up again. “Excuse me? Better at what?”

“You're the one that always remembers,” Levi snapped, as if it explained everything.

It was getting more and more disconcerting by the moment. Here was this guy, a complete stranger, talking to him like he knew him, throwing him glances as if he ought to, as if -

Erwin crushed the stub of his cigarette and stood up abruptly. “I should go see if they're boarding my flight.” Levi looked up at him (he was surprisingly short), alarmed. Erwin hesitated over a 'nice to meet you’, decided he didn't want to lie, and said instead, “Have a good one.”

With a curt nod, he walked away briskly. An idle voice in his mind told him he was running away. _Well, of course I'm running away_ , Erwin thought irritably. The man was a creep, or high. Or both.

He didn't sit down when he reached his gate, choosing to pace up and down in an effort to calm himself. The man, for some reason, had rattled him. His words had been nonsense, but the emotion behind them was clearly honest. It was strange, and extremely off-putting, and he was more upset by the encounter than he had any right to be. Erwin convinced himself that the amount of caffeine in his system had simply made him more jittery. That, at least, made sense.

They did open the gate for boarding, and Erwin stood in line with the other passengers, relieved. The aftertaste of tobacco felt disgusting in his mouth, and Erwin thought wryly that at least this strange incident might contribute in his efforts to quit.

There. Always a silver lining to everything.

The stewardess scanning the boarding passes paused and apologised as he stepped up in front of her, taking a phone call from what appeared to be the pilots. Erwin stood there and waited, palm upturned, for his boarding pass to be handed back.

“I'm extremely sorry, sir,” the stewardess muttered as she paused her conversation, holding the phone on her shoulder. “I'll be quick with this.”

Erwin bit back his sigh. “Of course.”

“Ooh, nasty-looking scar there.” The woman was clearly trying to be as friendly as possible, and she was staring at Erwin's palm.

“Birthmark.” Erwin told her automatically.

The woman didn't respond, she was back on her call. “Yes, I've scanned in twelve people already, I've got the thirteenth waiting for me-”

_-Thirteenth Commander-_

Erwin felt like a bucket of ice water had spilled on his head. The woman didn't notice; she ended the call with a “Yeah, alright”, scanned the pass and handed it to him, but he didn't move.

He couldn't move.

The boarding pass sat on his numb, unclenched hand, the winged logo of the airline burning holes into his vision. Then it slipped past his fingers and flopped sadly onto the floor, and Erwin was left staring at the mark on his right palm he had known all his life, a mark he realised for the first time had come from the sharp edge of a sword.

_Wings - Commander - dedicate your hearts! - Erwin - Levi - walls - Commander Erwin, sir - join me, Levi - Erwin - the Titans! - humanity's strongest - ERWIN_

His gut twisted violently, his bones were ice, and his spine was tingling.

_Levi._

He almost collapsed then and there. As if from a very long distance, he heard the stewardess.

“Sir? Sir, are you alright? Mr. Smith?”

He didn't even realise he was moving and speaking. “I have to go.” His voice was almost gone.

“Sir?”

He began to turn away. “I'm sorry. I have to go.”

“Mr. Smith-”

And then he ran. He ran like he never had, not ever, not once in this life. He ran as if he was set on fire, as if his very life depended on it. Because it did.

All his lives depended on him right now.

He tore through crowds, jumped and tripped over pieces of luggage. He paused momentarily at a screen displaying flight schedules, a yawning pit in his chest growing with every beat of his heart.

There were two flights to New York on that screen: one was still delayed, the other was now boarding. Erwin burned the gate numbers to his memory, and sped away again.

_Please. Please be there. Please._

When he reached the gate, there were less than ten people left in the line. Erwin's heart was in overdrive, it felt like it would tear out of his chest any moment. But the man he was looking for wasn't there.

He was gone.

“No,” Erwin grit his teeth and made his way to the desk. “No, no, no, no, no…”

The man at the desk looked up at him, his eyes lingering on his sweaty face, unimpressed. “Can I help you?”

“I -I need to know…” Erwin cleared his throat and tried to get his voice to stop shaking. “I need to know if there is a Levi on this flight. Mr. Levi… Ackerman.”

“Sir, we aren't at liberty to disclose that information.”

“No, please, this is important-”

“Sir, I really can't-”

Erwin slammed his palms on the desk and leaned forward. “It's a question of life and death. _Please_.”

“Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to step away, or I'll have security escort you out.”

The man was clearly not going to give him anything. Erwin stepped back, his mind working furiously. He noted the flight number, and the airline service -just in case. He had one more gate to check, the flight that was still delayed, and then after that, he would go by the smoking lounge again, for luck. He was _not_ giving up, he _would not-_

“You can't beg for shit.”

Erwin jumped violently and whipped around. And there he stood, looking as normal in his black jacket and slacks as he had in the uniform and the green cloak. His hair was beginning to dry and his customary fringes had already slipped past his forehead.

It _was_ him. It was _him_.

Erwin's breath caught in his throat and he could only mouth, “Levi.”

“That's not my flight, by the way.” Levi said gruffly, arms still crossed over his chest.

Erwin could only stare at him.

“You ran past me,” Levi explained. “Made me wonder if… you did remember.” He looked at him, his gaze both defiant and vulnerable. “Did you?”

Erwin stepped forward as if in a dream, grabbed Levi's shoulders and pulled him into a tight hug. When he felt strong fingers clutch onto his back he nearly burst into tears.

“Levi,” he whispered into his silky hair and pulled him closer. “Oh, god, _Levi_.”

Levi's hands were rubbing circles on his back, and Erwin realised he was shaking. “Shit,” he murmured. “I'm so sorry.”

Levi's voice was muffled against his chest. “It's okay.”

“I'm so sorry I put you through that-”

“It's okay, Erwin.”

Erwin drew back but held on to him. “I'm sorry I didn't remember-”

“Not your fault.” Levi's eyes narrowed at him, and now Erwin knew exactly what that meant, because he _knew_ this man.

He was worried. “Calm down, Erwin.”

Erwin took in a deep, shuddering breath obediently. Then he blurted the first words that came to him. “You made a list.”

The look Levi gave him was eloquent enough. “I was looking for you.” _Duh._

It was too much - he felt another strong emotion he couldn't name balloon in his chest and it spilled over his lips in a strangled laugh. Levi's hand left his shoulder and settled on his cheek. To his surprise, Erwin realised he was wiping away tears.

“Tch,” Levi muttered in a wholly endearing way that made Erwin's heart swell again. “You're a mess, Erwin.”

Erwin smiled and let him pat his cheeks dry. When he felt sure of his voice again, he said, “If you're as much of a clean freak as I remember, then that shouldn't be a problem.”

“I am just the right amount of 'clean freak' and you know it,” Levi deadpanned, and in a sharp, painful second, turned around. “Come on.”

Erwin let himself be led forward, his hand still firmly clasped in Levi's. “Did -did you just _flick my nose_?”

“I can do it again if you missed it the first time.”

“No, thank you,” Erwin let out a laugh. “ _Ow_.”

Levi graced him with a side-eyed glance and a smirk, and the ease of it, the familiarity of it nearly brought Erwin to tears again. He simply gripped Levi's hand tight, and felt his smile widen when he felt him reciprocate.

By unspoken consent, both of them were heading to the exits. Checked-in baggage could wait, their trips home could wait. Anything in the goddamn universe could wait after the long wait the two of them had been subjected to.

Levi only slowed down when they were walking past a trash can. Before Erwin could ask him, he slipped his hand into Erwin's jacket pocket, fished out his pack of cigarettes and promptly tossed it in the bin.

Erwin stared at him.

“Of all the things this time, I'm not losing you to _lung cancer_ ,” Levi sneered and dragged him away.

Erwin laughed again.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I have no knowledge of the intricacies of how an American airport works. I hope I've got the important bits right.
> 
> Also, yes, smoking is bad for you, and is a terribly difficult habit to kick.
> 
> This is literally the first reincarnation fic I have ever written in any fandom. Please do let me know what you think of it, I hope it didn't seem too tacky or off in any way.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
